Food of the Jiatroxx
by Slug Charmer
Summary: Set after Doomsday and The Runaway Bride. The Doctor goes to the Wire's home planet.
1. Arrival

I push open the battered blue doors of my TARDIS into a different dimension. I activate the Vortex Loop, then the Dimensional Stabilisers, and finally the Vector Tracker. The control room shudders, but I'm used to this. I've been on this stupid planet for far too long now. I live to explore.

I am the Doctor.

The universe was so happy. Once upon a time, I used to have the pleasure of taking humans on as my companions and taking them to the furthest reaches of the universe. It was fun while it lasted, but then I realised, on that fateful day that Rose died, that humans don't live forever. I cannot return to my race, as they are dead too. Everything is gone eventually. Except me, and my constant companion. Death.

The TARDIS' ancient engines begin to fade away, and I arrive at my destination. My destination is unknown; I simply wanted to get away from Raxacoricofallapatorius as soon as possible. So I step outside the doors, right into a robot.

I can quickly tell that this is either a security or an assassination robot. It's a humanoid, and a little taller than me, made entirely of metal. It has a thin visor on the steel 'head' with a reddish glow pulsing out. Two long arms carry many different kinds of weapons, all pointing at me. I slowly put my hands up.

"State your name," the machine says in a surprisingly human voice.

"I'm the Doctor."

"You will come with me." As I step forwards, the machine's cold hand grasps mine and places a primitive handcuff on my wrist. It takes me through this long hallway. I've been in this sort of place before – control panels on the wall, mechanical lights on the ceiling, a glowing red walkway beneath, no form of decoration whatsoever. My guess is that it's some kind of 'home for metal'. The security guard and I reach a metal doorway. And that's when I strike.


	2. The Planet of an Old Enemy

A quick blast with the sonic screwdriver sends the robot to sleep. The visor stops pulsating and the robot falls backwards, handcuff broken in two. I bend down to inspect this new customer.

"It is a security guard, I was right…" I mutter, running my fingers over the smooth metal casing. "Hang on," I say, reaching for one of the guns and take it. I'm not a killer, but I'm not fighting natural beings right now. Only robots.

Or are they? I reach down to the helmet. After a bit of work with the sonic screwdriver it comes loose. I take it off – and gasp in surprise.

Underneath is a mass of wires and sockets and batteries and links and radars and satellite receivers, all buzzing with the same red electric power as I saw on the radar before. Little lumps of the electricity jump form one wire to another. Suddenly, all of the red particles join together and with an ear-splitting KARACKABOOM thunder at the ceiling, leaving a horrible black burn where it hits. I've seen this kind of power before. A creature made entirely of electricity. I know where I am now.

The homeworld of my old enemy, the Wire.

I groan. The Wire was a creature that was banished from her homeworld in 1953. She fed on people's faces, their souls. She managed to find Earth at the best time she could have – right before the queen's coronation. For the first time, twenty million people would be huddling round the television. She infected the system, sucking in thousands of people's faces from the tv. I had put a stop to it – just in time.

'Right,' I think. 'I'm going to see what this place is like.' And with that, I stride out of the room.

As soon as I step out, though, I find myself face to face with another guard. I quickly fire with the plasma gun I picked up from the last guard. The other guard falls to the ground, dead.


	3. Karlur and Neferi

Moving on, I see three doorways at the end of the room. Suddenly, I hear noises from the left one. I rush through. There are two of the robot creatures standing and talking. This time, the robots are unarmed.

"Hands up," I say, pointing the gun at them. They turn and slowly raise their arms.

"Who are you?" I say. "Which planet am I on?"

"But how did you escape-" one begins. I glare at it.

"Speak, or I shoot!" I roar. I do not like to have to terrify two perhaps innocent beings, but it is the only way to get information out of them.

"I am Karlur," he says, sounding worried. "And this is my sister Neferi."

"We are of the Jiatroxx race," Neferi stutters. "These robot suits are what we call ASUDICs. Automaton Suits Used to Defend Inner Creatures. We are pure electricity, and need these suits to sustain us."

"You are on the planet Slaccort of the Anubic System, sector 12."

"Tell me," I say. "Have you banished one of your people lately? Perhaps named 'The Wire?'"

Karlur laughs. "Yes, we banished the Wire not long ago. Well, the Wire was her nickname. Her _real _name was Baithael."

"I destroyed her. Why was she banished?" I ask.

"She was arrogant, lazy and a greedy swine," Neferi spits.

"How can you be banished for being greedy?" I say.

"Put it this way, she stole practically half of the food stock in one day."

"Food stock?" I say. "Show me." I raise the gun threateningly. They walk towards the exit but suddenly they each grab one laser pistol from either side of the door.

"Hands up," they say malevolently. I'm outnumbered. If I kill one, the other will kill me. I've got no choice. I put my hands behind my head.

"Don't worry," Karlur whispers in my ear. "You'll meet the food stock soon enough."


	4. The Food Stock

The next thing I know, I'm thrown into a cold, dark, dusty cell. Groggily, I stand up, examining my new home. There is nothing but a small steel bed in the corner, with no duvet or blanket of any kind. The door that I came through has a small square window with three metal bars blocking the most obvious escape route. I peer through the bars and find myself in a hallway with doors stretching out for infinity either side of me. I'm one of the food stock now. A prisoner.

"Hey," a voice croaks. It's coming from the cell opposite.

"Who is that?" I ask.

"My name is Pyrack," the voice whispers hoarsely, and I see a bald scarlet face stare through the bars. He has lightning blue eyes and no nose – an Ulumbrian. "So who are you?"

"The Doctor. Where are we?"

"We're in the prison cells. Part of the 'food stock'. I don't know what that means."

"I do," I say quietly. "We're the food. The Jiatroxx race feeds on souls, and we're all they've got."

"That's hideous," Pyrack says, horrified. Suddenly there is a clunking noise of steel on steel. The Jiatroxx are coming.

"Get down!" Pyrack hisses. "Pretend to be dead!" I saw his logic. If the Jiatroxx assumed us dead, then they would have no souls to feed on. I fall backwards, mouth slightly open, eyes staring just as three Jiatroxx stare down at me. One waves its metal hand in front of my face. If I blink then it's all over.

"He's dead," the Jiatroxx says. They move over to the next door, but they forget to shut the door. While their backs are turned I silently stand up. Just as they are opening Pyrack's cell, I blast all three of them with my Sonic Screwdriver. They fall to the floor.

"Thankyou," Pyrack says, shakily standing up. I can see his whole body now – naked apart from a grey loincloth around his waist, four arms ending in long clawed hands. "How did you defeat them?"

"Sonic instrument," I say, handing the screwdriver over. He examines it with awe, running his fingers over the sleek design. He finally hands it over.

"Let's get out of here," I say, and together we head for the exit.


End file.
